The year is quickly coming to a close and I think it is a good time to reflect on what has happened this past year in soccer. So much happened this year that it was tough to choose the top 10 moments, but i did my best and came up with these moments. It is highly dominated by US moments but its my list so that is to be expected.
10. Fulham’s end of the season heroics to avoid relegation
Fulh-America and its 5 American players looked destined for relegation. They pulled it together at the end and needed a final match day victory against Portsmouth to avoid playing in the Coca Cola Championship this season. The Cottagers pulled off a 1-0 victory and escaped relegation. This was a big day for Yanks Abroad because most feared that our largest grouping of players would soon be playing second division soccer. American fans breathed a sigh of relief . . . at least for a little while. Eventually, Bocanegra moved to Rennes, McBride moved to Chicago Fire, Eddie Johnson was loaned to Cardiff City, Keller signed with Seattle Sounders FC, and Clint Dempsey was relegated to the bench. It might have been all for nothing, but at least for one day we watched our boys beat the odds.
9. Tiffany May
TIffany May decided to get hammered, strip down to her underwear, tie an American flag to her head, and streak across the field in the US’s Olympic qualifier against Honduras. Tiffany May is memorable for many reasons involving this incident, but this event is close to my heart because of what it brought to the game. For a couple of weeks in the month of May she was more popular than David Beckham. She sparked a media frenzy that had little to do with the game, and more to do with her . . . Anyways, lets just say that this was the type of publicity the game needed. It was fun, light hearted, and something that everyone could enjoy . . . soccer fan or not.
8. US U20 Women’s win World Cup
This tournament probably came and went for most of you without even registering. While our men struggle to gain the respect of the soccer world, our women’s programs are bringing home silverware. Unlike the full Women’s National Team, the U20′s had not won a major tournament in six years. The U20′s didn’t win their region and came into the tournament with their top goal scorer, Enyeart, not at 100% after a concussion. Coach DiCicco knows what it takes to be a champion and his group of talented young ladies took the tournament by storm. With Enyeart not in top form, Sydney Leroux go the start. Leroux ended up winning the golden boot and golden ball at the tournament. Their final game was against the Republic of North Korea, who had beaten our women’s U17 team a month earlier in the inaugural U17 Women’s World Cup. RNK was looking to sweep the Americans this year, but our ladies came through with a 2-1 win. The best part of the tournament was the Chilean announcers and media. They praised our women’s fighting spirit, skill, and conviction. They were called role models to all women, not only soccer players. They represented us well in this tournament and it was a proud day to be an American.
7. Jose Francisco Torres chooses the US
Last year we lost Edgar Castillo to Mexico, early this year we lost GIuseppe Rossi to Italy, and just a few days ago we lost Neven Subotic to Serbia. It is easy to dwell on those that got away, but I’m more focused on the ones we still have . . . Freddy Adu, Michael Orozco, Stuart Holden, and, of course, Jose Francisco Torres. Torres was an unknown player who left his high school early to pursue a career in Mexico. The Texas born midfielder found his way to Pachuca and the rest is history. After earning significant minutes with the Mexican powerhouse he began to get looks from the US and Mexican national team. On October 11th the US had won the battle for Torres’ services. A few days later he made his first start for the red, white, and blue. His vision and passing ability made everyone forget about Benny Feilhaber and Claudio Reyna. If he continues to get minutes with Pachuca he will be in the mix for one of the final 23 spots for the World Cup in 2010.
6. Adu’s performance in the Olympics
The U23′s Olympic adventure, for the most part, is best forgotten. An ugly 1-0 win against Japan, a 2-1 comeback lead slipped away against the Netherlands, and Michael Orozco gets a red card in their final game against Nigeria. The one thing we can take away from the tournament is Freddy Adu. His magic against the Netherlands made people believe that Adu had arrived. On a night when Babel, Drenthe, and De Guzman were on the field, Adu was the best player. His penetrating runs and crafty passing were too much for the Dutch squad and for a moment it looked like the US was about to upset one of the favorites. Their Olympic dreams slipped away at the death of the match, but today all I remember is what Adu did that night.
5. Michael Bradley’s goal scoring exploits
Although his success began in 2007, his story really hit its peak in 2008. It was a good year to be Michael Bradley. He ended the Eredivisie season at Heerenveen with 15 goals domestically and 2 goals in Europe. He broke the record for most goals scored by an American in a European league. The previous record was held by Brian McBride who scored 13 goals for Fulham. Bradley’s success in the Netherlands did not go unnoticed as a host of European sides were bidding for his services. He eventually made his move to Borussia Monchengladbach. He debuted against Hertha Berlin in mid September, and scored his first goal on November 15th to equalize against Bayern Munich.
4. Spain wins Euro 2008
It wasn’t so much that they won the tournament, but how they won it. They played with so much style and grace that it was hard to believe that we were really watching a Spanish team play. They play similar to a South American side, but with a little bit more bite. They were fun to watch play all tournament, and rarely disappointed. Spanish midfielder Xavi was named the best player of Euro 2008, but in my opinion that award belonged to Marcos Senna. He was Spain’s holding midfielder and provided the tempo and organization that allowed Spain to win. He did the work so Xavi and Iniesta and the rest of the creative players could work their magic.
3. Donovan’s 2 milestones
I’ve always been a big fan of Donovan, so it was nice to see him hit two major milestones this year. He earned his 100th cap against Argentina in June, and scored his 37th international goal against Cuba in October. Love him or hate him, he is one of the best players the US has ever produced. Now with his loan deal to Bayern Munich he has a whole new set of challenges ahead of him for the new year. I hope 2009 is filled with more broken records both internationally and with his club team.
2. Jozy Altidore goes to Villarreal
He’s a big kid, with big time skill, even bigger potential, and an even bigger price tag. Altidore was sold to the Spanish side for $10 million, more than double what Fulham paid for Clint Dempsey. Altidore made his debut in September and showed that he could handle the style of play in the Spanish league. His pace and power were too much for Deportivo La Coruna’s defense when he entered in the second half. He scored his first goal at the beginning of November after only being on the pitch for few seconds. He earned his first start on November 30th against Recreative Huelva. Things are going well for the young American.
1. USA ties Argentina 0-0
This is my favorite soccer moment of the year. I think a big part of it was because I was at the stadium and got to watch it live. June 8th was a hot and humid night. The stadium was packed, primarily with Argentinians. From the moment we got there the singing was non stop from both sides. The US fans were greatly outnumbered but they made their voices heard. The first half started and it was all Argentina, with Lionel Messi drawing all the oohs and aahs from the crowd. The US came out with conviction. They were ready to fight against the #1 team in world, and fight they did. Twenty minutes from the end of the game the rain started to pour down and rejuvenated the players and the fans. The rain was mercy from the soccer gods, bringing the game back to life and getting the fans back on their feet. Everyone started to take off their clothes and bask in the rain, chanting . . . USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! The game ended in a 0-0 tie. On that night the US had 80,000 people in the stands, singing from whistle to whistle, and tied the #1 team in the world. It was an amazing night.
Other memorable moments: Man United win the League and Champions League,US women win Olympic Gold, Zenit wins UEFA Cup,Oliver Kahn retires,Kenny Cooper’s season, Columbus Crew win supporters shield and MLS Cup, Inter Milan 3-peat, Real Salt Lake makes the playoffs, the return of the San Jose Earthquakes, Brian McBride returns to MLS.
What do you guys think of the list? What were your top moments of the year?
